


Volume I: Hitting the Books

by spinanotherstory



Series: Of Forbidden Magic and Ancient History [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Decisions, College of Winterhold - Freeform, College of Winterhold Questline, Diary/Journal, Friendship, Gen, Interesting NPCs Mod (Elder Scrolls), Modded Skyrim, Mostly in the form of not making Enthir do his own errands, Multimedia Content, Poor Life Choices, She’s dragonborn but she won’t be finding that out for a while yet, Thalmor Being Assholes (Elder Scrolls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 11,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinanotherstory/pseuds/spinanotherstory
Summary: Runa's just a nobody from Helgen. It's not as if her journal is going to be of the sort that future historians are interested in, but it could be fun to look back on later.She's not counting on the College of Winterhold finding something buried beneath Saarthal, nor is she prepared for the aftermath of that discovery. Still, she's come this far and she's not about to give up now.
Relationships: Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Brelyna Maryon, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & J'zargo (Elder Scrolls), Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Lucien Flavius, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn & Onmund (Elder Scrolls)
Series: Of Forbidden Magic and Ancient History [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2169408
Comments: 72
Kudos: 10





	1. Second Seed 3rd, 4E 200

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [From the Journal of Loranya, Dragonborn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555209) by [HopeStoryteller](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeStoryteller/pseuds/HopeStoryteller). 



> This is part one of gods know how many volumes it'll take for me to get through my Dragonborn's storyline. She's got a lot to do, so buckle up folks!

If you’re reading this in the future, my name is Runa. Runa... Merensdottir. I think I’d rather use my mother’s name than my father’s.

Anyway, I’m starting a journal to mark this new chapter in my life. I’ve never kept one before, at least not consistently, so I’m not sure if I’ll manage regular updates this time. But I’m going to try and record things for — well, probably for myself. But it would be funny if I (an absolute nobody from Helgen) one day had a journal that future historians are interested in.

I’ve been staying at the Sleeping Giant for the last little while, but today I’m leaving. I gathered together what I can (which isn’t much), and I’m going to Winterhold to join the College there. ~~What if they say I’m not magical enough?~~

They’ll let me in. I’m not going all that way for nothing. I’ve said my goodbyes to Delphine and Ralof, and I’m not going to disappoint them by not even trying because I’m afraid.

I should walk to Whiterun and catch a carriage, but I might walk instead. I could use the time to myself.

Either way, I’d better get going while the sun’s still high in the sky. Wish me luck!

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty slow start here, but things will pick up before long. She's gotta get settled in at the College first.  
> I'll be posting chapter 2 a few hours from now, but after that, expect daily/every other day updates.


	2. Second Seed 4th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the second update for today!

I realized how long the walk was going to be when I got near Whiterun, so I decided to catch a carriage. I must have fallen asleep on the way. It’s bloody freezing this far north. Aren’t Nords supposed to be resistant to the cold? ~~I don’t feel resistant to the cold.~~

I’m here, though. It’s just after midnight, I think, so I’m going to rent a room at the inn (the Frozen Hearth, apparently) and try to enter the College in the morning.

»»»

I made it! There was an Altmer mage, Faralda, guarding the bridge to the College; she apparently keeps those seeking to harm the College out, and makes sure prospective apprentices have something to offer the College.

She wanted me to cast a Magelight onto the seal at the base of the bridge. I was afraid she’d ask me to summon an atronach or something, but I actually know how to cast a Magelight, and I did it easily enough. And once I cast it, she let me in!

This place is amazing, even with the bridge that seems to be crumbling in places. Almost the moment I stepped into the courtyard, I could feel the magicka in the air. It’s like a thunderstorm waiting to happen. I’ve never been near this much magic in my life, and it’s exhilarating.

There’s a Thalmor agent stationed here. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by that, but — Winterhold favors Ulfric Stormcloak, doesn’t it? And he’s rather outspoken about his hatred for the Thalmor. Does the jarl have any say in what goes on here? Even if he doesn’t, why would the College allow the Thalmor to have a presence here?

His name is Ancano, and they certainly don’t seem to like him much, if the argument I saw was any indication. Mirabelle Ervine, the master wizard, more or less told him not to expect any special treatment while he’s here, then she ended the discussion.

I was a little afraid to approach her after that, but she was friendly to me. She gave me a set of proper mage robes, and a brief tour of the College. She showed me the Hall of Attainment, where my room is (I have my own room!), and then she showed me to my first class in the Hall of the Elements. The class is led by Tolfdir, the Alteration master.

I have three classmates: A Dunmer named Brelyna, a Nord named Onmund, and a Khajiit named J’zargo. They all seem much more confident in their abilities than I am in mine. They certainly didn’t like it when I agreed with Tolfdir that we need to learn to protect ourselves against magic before we learn more advanced things. ~~I hope I don’t end up as much of an outcast here as I did in Helgen.~~

Tolfdir asked me to help him with a demonstration with Wards, and I actually managed to cast the basic Ward he taught me. I’ve never successfully cast a Restoration spell before. It seems like he’s going to be an amazing teacher, and I hope I can keep up. I don’t want Faralda to think that letting me in was a mistake.

-Runa

»»»

Class didn’t last very long, all things considered. I think I’m going to explore the College a bit more.

There’s a statue in the courtyard. It’s very striking, though I don’t know who it’s supposed to be. Maybe I’ll find something in the library. I know the College has one. Supposedly it’s very impressive.

»»»

The ~~library~~ Arcaneum is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s the most magical place in the College, and the books! There are so many books! I could spend an entire lifetime in here, just reading and rereading forever.

The librarian, Urag gro-Shub (an Orc who does magic!), says that the collection has been around since the second era. (The way he phrased it made it sound like he’s been the one managing the collection that entire time. Is he immortal???)

Coming to the College of Winterhold is the best decision I’ve ever made.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sketch in here is actually something that I did off of some ingame screenshots! So are all the future sketches. I thought it'd be kind of fun to have some sketches here and there, since that's the sort of thing Runa would do.


	3. Second Seed 5th, 4E 200

As it turns out, classes don’t happen every day. I suppose that makes sense. There’s a lot of independent study that goes on here, too. Everyone seems to be doing some research project or another, except for me. I’ll have to figure something out sooner rather than later.

Well... Ancano, the “Thalmor advisor”, doesn’t have a research project either. All he does is lurk in the corners of rooms, just watching. It’s considerably unnerving, given that he towers head and shoulders above me. Plus, he’s, well, a Thalmor. I don’t trust him at all. I don’t think anyone here does.

I must have spent hours in the Arcaneum yesterday, just looking at things. Gods, I love it there so much, and I’ve only been here for a day! I don’t even know where I want to start when it comes to reading. History, maybe?

Most of today I spent poking through the College some more. I was expecting something rundown and sinister, but I think this place is bigger than Dragonsreach. Maybe even bigger than the Palace of Kings. Everything is well-lit, either by candles or magelights, and there are signs of life everywhere.

Of course, there’s the occasional atronach that drifts past, but they’re not hostile to anyone. I haven’t seen any undead yet, but Phinis Gestor (the Conjuration master) says that summoning them isn’t forbidden. In his words, those “archaic practices” were never enforced here, and they died out with the Mages Guild. I don’t know if it’s the sort of thing I want to dabble with, but it’s interesting that it’s not forbidden.

I also spoke to my classmates some more. I feel a bit of kinship with Onmund, maybe because we’re both Nords, and neither of our families really approved of us coming here. (He’s rather handsome, too.) At first I thought Brelyna was arrogant, but after a bit I realized that she’s been interrogated by nearly everyone since coming here. Being a member of House Telvanni will do that, it seems.

Speaking of arrogance, though, J’zargo has that in abundance. He thinks everything is a competition, and when I said that it’s not, he told me that the only reason I disagreed is because I’m losing so badly that I can’t even see it. I don’t think he and I are going to get along very well. Then again, I’ve been wrong before.

And then there’s Mugnor. Another Orc, which is still a surprise to me. She’s not exactly a classmate, I think, since she wasn’t part of my first lesson here, but she’s an odd one. She has the most outlandish ideas, but honestly? The only true limit with magic is your imagination. If you think anything’s possible, then, well, you’ll probably find a way to make it so eventually. I was a bit confused throughout my entire conversation with her, but I enjoyed myself all the same.

If Nirya would stop bullying her for having some unusual ideas, that would be excellent.

Nirya is another member of the College, not quite a student, but not a professor either. She’s every inch the arrogant Altmer, and seems to think that Faralda’s out to get her... for some reason. She’s needlessly rude to everyone and anyone, and I honestly might like her even less than Colette.

Colette is... shrill. Shrill and paranoid. She’s the Restoration master, so I think I can avoid her for the most part, since I don’t know if I’ll ever be even decent at that school of magic, but when I first said hello, she asked me if I thought Restoration was a valid school of magic, worthy of study. Of course it is. Why was she even asking? I don’t think the “poor treatment” she seems to suffer has anything to do with her research, and everything to do with her attitude. Maybe that’s just me, though.

I met just about everyone else, too, but I think those were my most notable encounters. I miss Ralof, but this place is amazing, and we can always exchange letters.

Anyway, it’s been an interesting day, but I think I’m going to try to get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

-Runa


	4. Second Seed 7th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a slight mix-up with the chapters! This is the one that should've gone up today, not yesterday, so make sure to check the previous chapter, too. To make up for it, I will upload an extra chapter today.

So, speaking of research projects... I have no idea what Brelyna’s trying to do, but I made the mistake of agreeing to help her. It’s a mistake because right now, I’m green. She said that it shouldn’t be permanent, which is not comforting, and that once it wears off we can try again.

To be honest, I don’t want to try again, but... I agreed to help. So I’ll let her have one more attempt before I leave her to her own devices.

-Runa

»»»

It took more than three hours for Brelyna’s spell to wear off. I still have no bloody clue what she was trying to do, because when she tried again, she turned me into a cow. And then a horse. And then a dog. And then she managed to turn me back into myself, but... I’m never doing that again.

We agreed to never speak of this incident again, which I think is for the best.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still want to know what on earth Brelyna was actually trying to do.


	5. Second Seed 8th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the chapter to make up for the upload mix-up!

Things at the College have been a little slow, what with everyone working on individual study, so I’ve decided to go exploring down in Eastmarch. If I stay near the sulfur pits, it’ll be warm enough, and I might find some interesting things to bring back.

More importantly, I’ll be getting away from J’zargo’s gloating and Ancano’s stares. Maybe I’ll actually be able to get some practice done without either of them looming over me. And if nothing else, I might find some inspiration for my own research project.

-Runa


	6. Second Seed 9th, 4E 200

I might have found some inspiration for my research project! But I’ll get to that in a bit.

As it turns out, my feet took me exploring just east of Windhelm. It’s much colder than I really wanted to deal with, but I found an old barrow that I decided to explore. I’m fairly certain that it was the final resting place of Yngol, one of Ysgramor’s sons.

There were strange blue orbs that bounced around and followed me through the ruin, but not a single draugr to be found. I did find a dead scholar, though, which was a bit alarming. He had been dead for quite a while, but I found his notes. He translated some old runes (I think) that had a sort of poem:

_“All was so in Atmora_

_land of truth and our home_

_Man in his throne,_

_so should he be_

_Whale in the sea, so should he be_

_Eagle in Sun’s Sky,_

_so should he be_

_Snake in the weed,_

_so should he be_

_Sorrow! For the Sea-Ghosts took Yngol_

_Prize Brother of Sail from Atmora’s Fleet_

_And none on land_

_nor sky, nor sea_

_would ever again_

_be as should be”_

I’m not sure what to make of it, but the second passage was the solution to a puzzle that had apparently stumped the scholar. There were three pillars to rotate, each with the symbol for a whale, an eagle, and a snake, each in an alcove that represented a certain environment from the poem. The fourth alcove had a throne, which I cautiously sat on. Nothing happened after a moment, so I went over to the lever in the middle of the room and pulled it. It opened the gate.

I kept exploring, and it was completely empty aside from the bouncing orbs, which was really starting to get unnerving around when I discovered an ancient puzzle door. It had three spinning rings, and a strangely-shaped keyhole. I was able to find the solution quite easily, though: it was on a jeweled dragon claw that I bought from Birna.

I’m not sure why the correct combination of symbols was on the key itself, but it helped me out. Sort of. Behind the door was a sort of crypt, with a throne in the middle. There was a shade sitting on the throne. And that shade nearly killed me. I’m incredibly relieved that my spell didn’t fizzle out when I was trying to summon a Flame Atronach. That would’ve been the end of me if it had.

After the shade was dead, I got a better look at the throne and its occupant: a skeleton with a fancy-looking helm. I’ll have to show it to Urag and see what he has to say about it, if anything.

But after that, I wasn’t ready to head back to the College yet, so I kept exploring. I wound up on the edge of the sea, where I found some slaughterfish that were longer than I am tall. And I thought the ones in the rivers were horrifying enough...

I also found a pair of Nords, laughing about having thrown an Argonian into a chest, and tossing that chest into the sea. I nearly killed them on the spot, but I thought better of it. Two well-armed, armored Nords or a small mage in robes... I think I know who would’ve walked away from that, and it wasn’t me. They left on their own after telling me that I “heard nothing”. Fuck that.

I... jumped into the sea to find the chest. (I ate a handful of snowberries, which protected me from the cold just long enough to get down there and back to the surface again.) There were, naturally, more slaughterfish, and I got bit a couple times, but I managed to scare them off and I smashed the chest open with a rock that I found on the seafloor. An Argonian popped out of the chest and swam for the surface.

His name is Treads-the-Ashes, and he’s a strange one, but I’m glad I saved him. He has a small camp set up, and I hope he’ll be safe enough now that those Nords are gone. I thought about asking him to come with me, but he’s very much the sort of fighter that runs in without a second thought, and I don’t think he’d enjoy sitting around in the College.

I hope I’ll see him again at some point. And if I see those Nords again, I might just set them on fire. As long as I can make sure I won’t get caught, that is.

I just realized that I entirely forgot to talk about my research project idea. There are burial ruins all across Skyrim, and I want to explore them, and find out what secrets they hold. It’s dangerous, but who knows what ancient secrets I might uncover? Maybe I’ll even rediscover some of the old magics.

I think we’ve got a class with Tolfdir tomorrow. I’ll ask him then. Right now, I’m going to get into bed and hope that I warm up sometime in the night.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back to our regular posting schedule! Hopefully there won't be any more mixups with the chapter uploads!


	7. Second Seed 10th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka Sarthaal: The Chapter

I’m awake far earlier than I care to be, after how late it was when I got back, but when I left my room I bumped into J’zargo. He asked me if I could help him with something and I was intrigued.

He’s made some Flame Cloak scrolls, but he apparently made them “with a twist” that will make them more effective against the undead. He asked me to test them out on said undead.

Why do I have such a hard time saying no? I should have told him to do it himself.

But, I will admit that I’m curious to see if these work. And I might end up going into more old ruins, so having a spell targeted directly at the undead might help.

-Runa

»»»

I was expecting that we’d go over Wards again in class, or maybe some other form of defensive magic, but instead, Tolfdir told us about an excavation that the College has been working on in and around Saarthal.

I’d heard some murmurs about it (mostly from disgruntled guards in town), but now it seems that we’ll actually be going. Tolfdir said that we’ll meet there in a few hours. I guess I’m going into another Nord ruin sooner than I was anticipating.

(Though, the older apprentices and/or faculty may have already killed the draugr inside, and I won’t exactly complain about that.)

-Runa

»»»

Well, we’ve made it to Saarthal. It’s not what I was expecting. Though, I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting.

Brelyna and I were talking on the way here, and she said that she doesn’t know much about it, but she’s fairly certain that it was one of the first cities of men in Skyrim. Tolfdir confirmed that, and added that it was sacked by the elves in the “infamous Night of Tears”, but I’ve never heard of the Night of Tears. I’m sure Urag has a book I can borrow on the subject.

Anyway, it seems that the College is interested in the magical seals on the tombstones; it’s something they’ve never encountered before. And it’s certainly nothing I’ve seen before.

Tolfdir’s asked me to help Arniel Gane with finding and cataloguing enchanted items within the ruins, so I’d better get to it.

-Runa

»»»

I’m glad I brought a lantern. This place is nearly pitch black, and I’ve already gotten lost once.

-Runa

»»»

I finally found Arniel. He told me to look around in the section north of where we were, and I found a few enchanted rings. There was an amulet on a sort of pedestal set into the wall, though, and my curiosity got the better of me.

I pulled it off the wall, and the gate leading into the room (the gate that I entirely missed) closed behind me. When I put it on (I know, I know, that’s not the smartest thing to do, but I didn’t really have any other options), the area around the pedestal began pulsing with some sort of energy.

Tolfdir wondered what effect my spells would have, and when I cast a firebolt at the wall, it exploded inward, revealing an entirely new passage. (The gate also opened, which is nice.) 

We’re going to see where it goes.

»»»

It went into a small room that had a few coffins, where some sort of... ghost or apparition appeared to me. He claimed to be from the Psijic Order, and told me that I had “set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped”. He said that judgement hasn’t been passed because I had no way of knowing, but that judgement will be passed on my actions to come. He said that I alone can prevent the “coming disaster”. Then he mentioned danger ahead, said that the Psijic Order believes in me, and disappeared. Why me? I’m not a gifted mage in the slightest. Surely they should’ve picked Brelyna or Onmund or — gods, even J’zargo, though it would’ve gone straight to his head.

Tolfdir didn’t see the vision, but he said that I should take it as a compliment that the Psijic Order is contacting me, because they’ve only ever dealt with those they find worthy.

Then we stumbled into a larger room with rings of coffins going up higher than I could even see. I’ve never heard of something like this, and neither has Tolfdir (which concerns me a little, because he’s been around for quite a while). He’s told me to keep going while he studies the coffins for a little while. I’m not sure that I want to go on by myself, but I do want to know what else is in here.

I’ll probably get the chance to test J’zargo’s scrolls out, if nothing else.

»»»

J’zargo’s scrolls fucking explode.

»»»

Tolfdir caught up to me after I finished solving some puzzles with spinning totems. They were easy, because the correct symbol was always on the wall behind the totem.

That makes me think of something I read recently, that the puzzles within the ruins weren’t meant to keep people out, but were meant to keep things in. That’s not a comforting thought.

Anyway, after he caught up, we stumbled into a room with this glowing orb thing. I can feel the magicka radiating off of it, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen or even heard of. Tolfdir says that the Arch-mage needs to be informed immediately, and wants me to head back to the College because he doesn’t want to leave this thing unattended. I’m just taking a moment to catch my breath. (It was guarded by an enormous draugr that our spells couldn’t affect at first, until Tolfdir somehow severed its connection to the orb. I’m not too proud to admit that was a difficult fight.)

I can’t help but feel like something’s calling out to me and trying to get my attention. Being near this orb is clearly making me hear things.

-Runa

»»»

Unless it was making me hear things after I left the room, I don’t think it was the orb. And I don’t think it would cause me to see things, either.

There was an ancient word wall at the back of the ruin. I’ve only read a little about them, but apparently they’re written in the language of the dragons. Maybe they just call out to all Nords or something. We were the ones who mainly served under the dragons back in the Merethic Era.

I’m not sure. But that’s not as important as dealing with whatever this orb is. I’d better hurry back to the College.

-Runa

»»»

When I got out of Saarthal, it was snowing so heavily that I could barely see five feet in front of me. That... might very well have saved my life, because there were Thalmor agents poking around, looking for people to “question” on Ancano’s orders. I’ve no doubt that “question” in this instance means “drag off and torture for information”. It seems that he’s suspicious about what’s been going on at Saarthal. I don’t think anyone will believe me if I tell them this, though. I don’t know what to do.

I managed to evade them thanks to the snow, though. I might have gotten a little lost, but I’m back now, and I’ve spoken to Savos Aren. He’s going to join Tolfdir in Saarthal, and he told me to speak with Mirabelle about class.

If I don’t find her on my way from the Hall of the Elements to the Hall of Attainment, it can wait until the morning. I’m fucking freezing and covered in dust, dirt, and gods know what else. Getting clean, warm, and dry takes priority over sorting out class.

-Runa

»»»

Mirabelle was not between me and the Hall of Attainment. I’m going to bed. I’ll find her after I sleep.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's a lot of plot in this chapter but my favorite part is, and always will be, "J'zargo's scrolls fucking explode."


	8. Second Seed 11th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter is a bit later than I'd wanted to upload, but I ran into some technical issues, and then I went back and fixed formatting issues for the previous chapters. But chapter 8 is here now!

The first thing I did when I got out of bed this morning was talk to J’zargo. He insists that he didn’t put me in harm’s way on purpose and... despite his arrogance, I believe him.

I need to go find Mirabelle now, but maybe I’ll look his notes over with him later, if he wants it. It’s an interesting idea. And maybe he’s not as bad as I thought. Maybe.

-Runa

»»»

Word travels fast around here, because she already knew why Tolfdir wouldn’t be taking care of our group for the time being. She suggested that I speak to Urag in the Arcaneum, and start some independent study.

I’ll do that after breakfast.

-Runa

»»»

While I was on my way to get my breakfast, Onmund asked me for a favor. He said that Enthir had something he wanted, so he traded an amulet that belonged to his family for it. And Onmund realized that he made a mistake and he wants it back, but Enthir wouldn’t give it to him.

I guess I have to talk to Enthir after breakfast, too.

-Runa

»»»

It’s hard to start independent study when you don’t have the research materials to work with in the first place, and the books that Urag thinks would be of any use to me were stolen by an apprentice named Orthorn when he ran off to join a group of mages in Fellglow Keep.

They left because of a “difference of opinion” with the College, according to him, which means that they were probably killing people to use as test subjects. Necromancy itself isn’t forbidden here, but the Arch-mage told me that he does not and will not approve of any research that brings purposeful harm to other members of the College.

So that’s probably why the mages left for Fellglow Keep. And that’s where I get to set out for this afternoon. Waltzing into a keep filled with hostile mages... what could possibly go wrong?

~~So many things could go wrong. So many.~~

I’d better find Enthir before I leave, though.

-Runa

»»»

...It’s too bad that the Arch-mage disapproves of experiments that cause purposeful harm to other members of the College.

Enthir won’t let me buy the amulet off of him. Oh no, I have to help him out of a deal he made, even though he won’t let Onmund out of his. He sold someone a staff, and he wants me to get it back.

I guess Fellglow Keep can wait for a little while. It’s not like the orb or the books are going anywhere, but if the person Enthir sold the staff to is as dangerous as he made them out to be...

The place they’re apparently holed up in is nearly in Cyrodiil, so I think I’ll have to go through Falkreath. I’ll catch a carriage there when I get the chance.

-Runa

»»»

Brelyna offered to come with me. I can’t say I’m going to object to the company, and the extra spells might help as well. I just hope she doesn’t expect me to pay for her carriage fare.

-Runa

»»»

We’ve made it to Falkreath. That was a surprisingly smooth journey. I think we’re going to stop off at Dead Man’s Drink, so that Brelyna and I can get a bit to eat before we head out again. I’m glad she considers Onmund a friend too, because I think she might have abandoned me to do this crazy errand on my own if she didn’t.

-Runa

»»»

In Dead Man’s Drink, I bumped into a man dressed in much finer clothes than anyone else I’ve seen in Falkreath so far. He took one look at me and decided to strike up a conversation. He says his name is Lucien Flavius, and he’s a scholar of some kind.

He said that he’s looking for someone to travel with, because he wants to explore Skyrim, but it’s no place for a “milk-drinker” like him (his words, not mine). He even offered to pay me.

I probably would’ve said yes without the payment, but the extra 300 septims certainly don’t hurt. I wonder what sort of things he’s researching? And I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m about to drag him off to deal with some likely-dangerous mages. He can always hide behind a rock or something if he has to.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Lucien Flavius! One of my most favorite mod-added followers. He's a delight, and there's actually a lot more to his mod than I initially realized (as you will eventually see when we reach that point in the story!)


	9. Second Seed 12th?, 4E 200

I’m not quite sure what day it is anymore. It’s late at night, I know that much. The route Enthir gave me to follow took us up into the mountains, and I got us rather lost, to the point where it was already mid-afternoon by the time we arrived at the place.

Admittedly, the name “Bloodlet Throne” should have tipped me off. I’ll accept that that part is my own fault.

Enthir sent me into a gods-damned coven of vampires! You’d think he would have noticed he was selling to a vampire. I mean, their eyes glow, for Talos’s sake. Anyway, between Brelyna, Lucien, and I, we managed to kill all of them, and their thralls, and their hounds. I’m utterly exhausted, and I don’t think they’re feeling much better.

I don’t really want to camp out here, but I don’t think we have much choice in the matter. I’m glad I brought my tent and bedroll, at least. We’ll have to squeeze together for warmth, but at least we won’t be alone in this place.

-Runa

»»»

It’s morning now. None of us slept for very long; maybe six hours at most. It’s too difficult to rest in this place. So, even though we’re tired, we’re going to head out. Hopefully we can make it back to Falkreath and either get some rooms at Dead Man’s Drink, or catch a carriage to Whiterun and rent some rooms at the Bannered Mare when we arrive there.

I suppose it depends on if a carriage driver is available when we get there. I don’t think I’ll get us lost again, so we should be there soon enough.

-Runa


	10. Second Seed 13th, 4E 200

We managed to catch a carriage to Whiterun, then we went to the Bannered Mare, rented a room, and promptly passed out for almost a day.

I guess we really needed the sleep after dealing with those vampires.

But now it’s time for the three of us to set out for Fellglow Keep and retrieve those books for Urag. (And, of course, any other books that the mages might have taken.)

-Runa

»»»

We’re outside Fellglow Keep. There was a pair of mages and a Flame Atronach on guard outside, but we took care of them easily enough.

I don’t doubt that the inside will prove more of a challenge, and I don’t think it’ll be very smart for me to stop and write until the place is cleared out. Wish me luck.

-Runa

»»»

I’ve decided that necromancers are insane. Sane people wouldn’t lock vampires up in cages to do experiments on them. And they wouldn’t go around calling themselves something like “the Caller” either.

I’m also not really a fan of the walking skeletons.

Still, we managed to deal with the mages in Fellglow Keep. We even rescued Orthorn. ~~Even though I was tempted to leave him in that cell for being idiotic enough to join them in the first place.~~ He wanted to help but I told him to leave. He would’ve just been in our way.

As it was, Brelyna, Lucien, and I had to sneak around more than I’d care to admit to avoid being outright murdered. I’m glad Brelyna has managed to pick up a bit of Restoration magic, or I don’t think I’d be alive to write this.

However, we did get the books, and once we get back to Whiterun we can hail a carriage to take us to Winterhold. Once I convince myself to st

_Ink splatters across the rest of the page, as if an inkwell was spilled._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:D


	11. Second Seed 14th, 4E 200

So, I may have fallen asleep in the middle of writing that. Oops. Luckily, there were some beds in the keep, and with all of the mages dead, we could spend the night there.

Then the three of us headed back to the College, and I brought the books to Urag. He was rather pleased with the haul I’d gotten; aside from the three specific books he wanted, there were dozens of other books that we managed to snag, including a few spell tomes.

(I found one in particular that seems to send out little orbs that harvest nearby alchemical ingredients. It definitely bears more experimentation, but it seems like it’ll be useful.)

One of the specific books he wanted me to find, though, Night of Tears, is apparently something that Tolfdir might find particularly interesting. When I brought it up to him, he said that he’d have to make a point of rereading it. I didn’t get a chance to read it myself, but apparently it’s about something buried beneath Saarthal that men and mer fought over.

They must have been fighting over whatever this orb is.

Tolfdir then asked me to indulge him for a little while, and I listened while he talked about the orb. He said that the inscriptions on it don’t match any language that he’s seen before, not even Falmer. (I find that particularly odd, because, well, weren’t the Falmer, before they became what they are today, the ones who lived on the surface of Skyrim before the Nords came down from Atmora?)

He says that Arch-mage Aren is already hard at work, and hopefully we’ll have some answers soon. So, I guess we just wait for now.

-Runa

»»»

I gave that staff to Enthir, and he actually handed over Onmund’s amulet. Onmund was grateful to have it back, and I’m glad that I was able to help.

It’s nice to have friends again.

-Runa


	12. Second Seed 15th, 4E 200

It feels like the entire College is holding its breath. The professors and Arch-mage are all engrossed in studying the orb, which leaves us apprentices at loose ends.

I suppose it’s time to do some more exploring. Lucien’s interested in coming, and so is Brelyna. I’m not sure where Onmund and J’zargo are, otherwise I’d ask them to come along, too.

I think we’ll go north from the College. You’d think that there would be nothing but ice flows, but I think there’s actually an old ruin or two that way. We’ll find out!

-Runa

»»»

We did, in fact, stumble across an old ruin. It’s called Yngvild, and I’m not sure what its original purpose was, but it was perverted into something much worse.

I say it was because we took care of it.

But anyway, it had become home to an Altmer mage named Arondil, who, according to his own journals, was chased from Dawnstar when the locals discovered his experiments — learning how to reanimate and enslave the dead.

All of the draugr buried here were women. And Arondil decided that he would... have his way with them, let’s say. And then he started kidnapping women from Dawnstar and the surrounding area, and reanimating them for the same purpose.

Something that he was doing made them come back as ghostly figures, instead of simply raising their bodies. That didn’t stop him from having his way with them, either.

I honestly just want to burn the journals, but I probably shouldn’t, in case someone needs evidence of what happened here. Even still, I’m definitely not touching them without gloves on. Ew.

-Runa

»»»

We were heading back up the coast when we saw a lighthouse in the distance. As always, it’s bloody freezing this far north, so we figured we could stop at the lighthouse and ask the owners if we could stay to warm up for a little while.

The dead horse outside tipped us off that something was horribly wrong.

When we got inside, the main area, which used to be a dining room, I think, was in ruins. A dead Redguard woman was in the middle of the room with a crude axe buried in her chest. Next to her was an awful bug-like creature. I’m pretty sure it was a chaurus... which would mean that this lighthouse is probably above a Falmer den.

That axe is probably of Falmer make. These poor people.

There was a journal near her body. Her name was Ramati. And the journal was written by Habd, presumably her husband. At first, he wrote about how they’d planned to retire to this lighthouse and how much they loved it, but then their children (Mani and Sudi, apparently) started to bicker and harass each other, and Ramati.

Sudi said she heard scratching noises coming from the basement. Both Habd and Mani thought she was making things up, to judge by the other notes I found scattered around the rooms, but...

She clearly wasn’t.

Habd went down there to try to save his family. I... don’t think we’ll find any of them alive, but we have to check. Either we’ll rescue them, or we’ll avenge them, ~~or we’ll die horribly as well~~ but I’m determined to get rid of this Falmer nest so that this never happens again.

-Runa

»»»

That was horrifying. Let’s put it like this: if all of those chaurus eggs hatched, there probably would’ve been enough to fill the Imperial City.

Brelyna and I took what we could and burned the rest.

There weren’t actually as many Falmer as I was expecting, it was mostly just their awful pets. But I was right about one thing: we didn’t find any of the family alive.

I found what I’m pretty sure are Habd’s remains, though, inside the largest chaurus I’ve ever seen, or even heard of. In her journal, Ramati mentioned that he made her promise that when he died, she would put his bones in the lighthouse fire so that he could look out over the ocean forever.

Ramati can’t do that for him, but I can. I feel like it’s the least I can do, since I couldn’t save him or his family.

»»»

It’s done. I threw his bones into the fire and it felt like some sort of calm settled on my shoulders. Almost like Habd was saying “thank you”.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, from the bottom of my heart, fuck Frostfall Lighthouse.


	13. Second Seed 16th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of an earlier upload today, since I'm up a bit earlier!

I think it was nearly morning when Brelyna, Lucien, and I made it to Dawnstar and into the Windpeak Inn. I rented a room for us, and we promptly collapsed and went to sleep.

I got woken up by a bit of an argument in the main area, between a couple of the mine workers and a priest of Mara. Apparently, the town is plagued by nightmares. (I find that a little odd, because I slept just fine, if not for nearly long enough.) I’m going to ask the priest about it. Just a moment.

-Runa

»»»

The priest’s name is Erandur, and he says that the people of Dawnstar are in terrible danger because the nightmares are being caused by the Daedric prince Vaermina.

This is, needless to say, a rather alarming revelation. It seems like he might be concealing something, but these people need help, and it’s not like he wants to panic them further.

I’m going to help him sort this out, I just need to leave a note for Lucien and Brelyna, in case they wake up while I’m gone.

-Runa

»»»

That was an entire misadventure, and I really wish I’d gotten more sleep before it happened.

Erandur led me up to a crumbling tower that overlooks Dawnstar. Apparently the locals call it the “Tower of the Dawn”, which is a much prettier name than Nightcaller Temple, though the latter is more accurate for what was going on inside.

Decades ago, the temple was ransacked by an Orc warband that had been suffering from the same sort of nightmares. According to Erandur, the cultists knew they couldn’t defeat the Orcs, so they decided to release something called “the Miasma”. Essentially what it did was put everyone, Orcs and priests alike, into a deep sleep that wasn’t broken until Erandur and I entered the temple.

Though I suppose it’s more accurate to say that Erandur was returning to the temple, because he had been a priest of Vaermina. When the Orcs attacked the temple, he fled, leaving his brothers and sisters behind. I can’t say I blame him. I wouldn’t want to be in servitude to a Daedra forever, either.

I wish he had told me the truth from the start, though.

We had to fight our way through Nightcaller Temple, because the priests raised some sort of barrier that prevented us from walking straight to the inner sanctum. Erandur had a solution for that, though: the Dreamstride.

I’m not sure how to properly describe the Dreamstride, but it was incredible. I got to view the memories of another person, as though I was the one there. (I think I may have seen Erandur’s memories...) Somehow, though, while I was doing that, I disappeared from where we’d been standing together in the alchemy lab and reappeared on the other side of the barrier. After I removed the soul gem powering the barrier, we kept moving through the temple, and killing the cultists and Orcs as we went through.

When we reached the Skull of Corruption (Vaermina’s artifact and the source of the nightmares), it was being guarded by Veren and Thorek. I’d just seen them through the Dreamstride, but Erandur hadn’t seen them in decades. They were friends, once. We had to kill them, or they would’ve killed us, but... I can’t even begin to imagine how Erandur felt about all of that.

He began to perform the ritual to destroy the Skull when a voice spoke in my head, telling me that he was deceiving me, and that once the Skull was free, Erandur would turn on me. The voice said to kill him and claim the Skull for my own and... I almost did. Until the voice said “Vaermina commands you!” which snapped me out of it.

I’m not going to be ordered around by a Daedra. Not even one with her own realm of Oblivion. And she was wrong, anyway. Erandur didn’t turn on me, and he destroyed the Skull of Corruption, so Dawnstar’s nightmare problem should be solved.

I’m going back to the inn to get some sleep, but I guess I’ll have to take a walk around town tomorrow and find out for sure.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> local daedra must be out of her head if she thinks I'm gonna murder Erandur


	14. Second Seed 18th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today, but things will pick up again tomorrow!

There’s not much of anything to do at the College at the moment; I’m not any help in researching the orb (which some people have taken to calling the “Eye of Magnus”, and I hope that it’s not actually a godly artifact), and since there aren’t any classes to attend, I’m stuck doing odd jobs or just wandering around.

I don’t want to go too far in case some breakthrough happens. So, I’ve run deliveries between Winterhold and Whistling Mine, I’ve “cleansed” the foci around the College for Drevis (I put on a special pair of gloves and stick my hands into them to find things that don’t belong — usually soul gems, for some reason), and... that’s about it. It’s rather boring.

Maybe I should try to keep a closer eye on Ancano, though... He’s been skulking around even more than usual.

-Runa


	15. Second Seed 21st, 4E 200

Well, something interesting finally happened. I had barely stepped foot into the Hall of the Elements when Ancano grabbed me. (Literally, he took hold of my arm. I really wish he hadn’t.) He said that there was a Psijic Monk, here at the College, who was asking for me specifically. Evidently, Ancano hates the Psijic Order. (Now that I think of it, all Thalmor probably do.)

Then he more or less marched me up to the Arch-mage’s quarters, where the Psijic was waiting. He wasn’t the same monk who appeared to me before, but he wore the same robes.

He did the same thing that the previous monk did: he froze time so he could speak to me privately. I really wish they’d stop doing that, it makes my skin crawl.

My misgivings are less important than what he told me, though, so I should get back on topic. He said that the situation here at the College is “of dire importance” and that they’d been attempting to contact me the way they did in Saarthal, but it had failed. The energy coming from the orb (he also called it the “Eye of Magnus”, and I’m starting to think that maybe it really does have something to do with Magnus himself) prevented them from doing so. He said that the longer the orb remains here, the more dangerous it becomes. I can believe that. It seems like everyone researching it has become obsessed.

The Psijic Order won’t do anything about the situation themselves, though. Quaranir said that they don’t intervene directly in events. That’s complete horseshit, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m at a loss for what I could do to make them help when he’s already left.

Before he left, though, he said that the orb will be misused, and that some of the Psijic Order believe that something will happen soon, something that we can’t stop. We should focus on dealing with the aftermath, he said. Then he told me to seek out the Augur of Dunlain, somewhere within the College.

I have no idea who or what the Augur of Dunlain is. I’ve never heard of him. All Quaranir could tell me is that he was once a student here, but is now “something different”. I asked the Arch-mage, and he assumed that Tolfdir had been telling stories; he thought he’d made it clear that it was an inappropriate subject, and to stop him from talking about it further.

I guess I know who I need to go talk to now.

-Runa

»»»

Tolfdir confirmed what Quaranir said: the Augur of Dunlain was once a student at the College. Well before Tolfdir’s time, apparently. He told me that the Augur was a highly gifted mage, but that he became too concerned with how much power he could acquire, which led to “the accident”.

Somehow, an experiment of his went horribly wrong, and he was ripped from his body, and became fused to the energies that flow beneath the College. He’s in the Midden.

I haven’t been down there yet, but it looks like I have to go there now. It’s not a pleasant place, from what I’ve heard.

-Runa

»»»

I would not recommend going into the Midden if you can avoid it. It’s cold, damp, and grim. I think I was attacked by four different ice wraiths, a pair of frostbite spiders, and a few skeletons.

And I found the remains of an old ritual around some sort of Daedric gauntlet, but that’s not something I’m going to concern myself with right now.

I spoke to the Augur. Being in his presence was almost suffocating, like there was a great weight on my chest. He vanished after he said his piece, and I’m outside the room now, but I can still feel it. (Though not quite as much.)

He told me that my efforts are in vain, that “it has already begun”. (I don’t know what he was referring to, but I know that I don’t like it.) He said that Ancano had visited him as well. ~~I hope he didn’t tell Ancano what he told me.~~ Apparently, to “see through Magnus’s eye without being blinded”, I need to find his staff. The Staff of Magnus... well, I don’t suppose I need to wonder if it truly exists, anymore, but where am I going to find it??

I need to speak to Savos Aren.

-Runa

»»»

The Arch-mage was rather taken aback when I told him that we need to find the Staff of Magnus. He said that he’d love to have such a powerful staff, but that he’s not sure that any of us actually need it. Once I told him it was connected to the orb, and that the Augur of Dunlain had told me, he was impressed.

He said that someone would need to follow up on it, and I can take a hint when I see one. Apparently Mirabelle mentioned something about it recently, so now I have to go find her.

The Arch-mage did give me a circlet with a powerful magicka-fortification enchantment on it, though. So that was nice.

-Runa

»»»

I found Mirabelle. She warned me to be very careful, but ultimately told me what I needed to know. Nobody here at the College knows where the Staff of Magnus is located.

Apparently, though, some months back, a handful of mages from the Synod in Cyrodiil came asking about it. (According to Mirabelle, the Synod are more involved in politics and trying to curry favor with the Emperor than they are with magic. That figures. She also suspects that they’re trying to hoard artifacts of great power.) Evidently, she couldn’t tell them much either, and they eventually left for the ruins of Mzulft.

She says they might still be there, but to not expect them to be cooperative. Hopefully they’re still there, and I can convince them to tell me something. Even if they’re not, Arniel asked me to find ten Dwemer cogs for him, for something with his research. I hope I can find those, too.

Dwemer ruins are dangerous, and I think I’m going to need all the help I can get. Time to see if Onmund and J’zargo are willing to come along as well.

-Runa

»»»

They’ve agreed to come along. I’m really grateful, honestly. Maybe between all of us we can make it out alright.

-Runa

»»»

We’ve made it to Keld-nar, which is the village just beneath Mzulft. It’s late, and I know I don’t want to be traipsing around in a Dwemer ruin while exhausted. I doubt the others do, either.

We’ll rent a couple of rooms and get in there in the morning.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we goooooo


	16. Second Seed 22nd, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of clarification: the group currently consists of Runa, Lucien, Brelyna, Onmund, and J'zargo!

There was a dying mage in the entrance to the ruin. He said something about a missing crystal, and finding someone named “Paratus” in the “oculory”, and then he... died.

I can’t help but wonder if we’d entered the ruin last night, maybe we could have saved him. I don’t think so, but that possibility is going to haunt me regardless.

I don’t particularly like rifling through the pockets of the deceased, but I found a journal and a key, which might be useful. The journal looks like some sort of research log, and the key should get us into the ruin.

I think there’s going to be enough dangers without me stopping to write, so this may be my last entry for a while.

-Runa

»»»

I’m pretty sure we’re most of the way through the ruin. I hate Dwemer ruins. If the machines aren’t trying to kill you, the Falmer are. If they’re not trying to kill you, their awful pets are.

And in this ruin, a Thalmor squadron followed us down here. They waited until we’d fought an enormous Dwarven Centurion to ambush us, and... that could have ended very poorly. As it is, I’m grateful that Onmund is much better at healing than I thought. If he wasn’t, I don’t know that we’d all be walking out of here.

So far, we’ve only found dead Synod mages, but there’s one room we couldn’t get into before. I think the Centurion was guarding the key. It was guarding a key, anyway. I hope at least one of the Synod mages are still alive and can tell us something.

(Ancano’s orders weren’t targeting me specifically, but the Synod mages. The Synod mages, who are part of the Empire that the Thalmor are supposedly allies with. I’m not sure if Ancano is going against his own orders or not, but either way, it spells trouble.)

-Runa

»»»

The key did open that door we couldn’t get past, so that’s fortunate. Behind it, though, was the last surviving Synod of this expedition. His name is Paratus, and he’s a paranoid fool.

We got his project working with the crystal that Gavros mentioned. It was a focusing crystal, meant to be fitted into an old Dwemer machine. The Synod were planning to use it to reveal great sources of power throughout Tamriel. “Purely to safeguard the Empire, of course.”

Mirabelle was right about them hoarding artifacts. But the results of this experiment were thrown off by the presence of the Eye at the College.

I suppose I should be thankful for that. I don’t think a bunch of Empire-supporting politicians who can barely cast a few spells should know where powerful artifacts are located all across Tamriel.

The other location that got revealed was Labyrinthian. The Staff is there. It has to be.

...Hang on.

»»»

One of the Psijics just appeared out of thin air. I think he was the same one who appeared to me in Saarthal. He told me that I’ve done well thus far, but warned me that trying times are ahead. He said that we need to return to the College at once.

I hope we can get there before something terrible happens.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> clearly Runa's never heard the phrase "tempting fate"


	17. Second Seed 23rd, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes hello I'm up early again so have an early chapter upload

I was too late. Savos Aren is dead, Mirabelle is injured, and Ancano’s done something to the Eye of Magnus. Whatever it is, he’s barricaded himself inside the Hall of the Elements.

Some sort of magical anomalies were unleashed upon the town when he killed the Arch-mage. Faralda and Arniel helped the rest of us kill them, but now we have to go to Labyrinthian. I gave everyone the choice of staying here, or going anywhere else instead of coming to Labyrinthian with me, but... they all agreed to help me. Even J’zargo. (Maybe especially J’zargo? He seemed especially offended that I even asked.)

Mirabelle said that Savos had mentioned Labyrinthian just before he died, and that it seemed personal to him. Then she handed me a torc of some kind and told me to go. We’d better hurry. I don’t think I’ll have time to write again until this is all over. ~~If I’m alive when this is all over.~~

-Runa


	18. Second Seed 26th, 4E 200

I haven’t slept in three days. The world’s gone all fuzzy at the edges and I’m fairly certain I’m hallucinating. But the College is saved, and now I can go sleep for a week.

After I write down what happened, I suppose. That is fairly important. Lucien can read over my shoulder and make sure I get everything right.

Labyrinthian is an enormous ruin just south of Morthal. The town seems to be having its own troubles, but we didn’t have the time to worry about that.

Instead, we headed to the ruins, dodged a few frost trolls, and got to the grand door into Labyrinthian itself. Shades appeared to us. Shades of the last people to ever set foot inside. They were College apprentices, like us. And one of them was Savos Aren. Looking at all of them, I realized that I’d never seen any of them (or heard of them) except for Savos, so I already had a bad feeling.

But I’ll get to that in a moment. We had to fight our way through more skeletons and draugr than there are people in the entirety of Winterhold — the hold itself, not the town. And there was a skeletal dragon! It could breathe ice! I would’ve been fascinated if it hadn’t been trying to kill us. (Okay, I’m still fascinated, but there were more pressing things at hand than poking at an old skeleton.) There were more than a few close calls.

As we went through the ruin, some voice started calling out to us. Or maybe just to me. Every time it spoke, it drained the magicka from all of us, which was terrifying, seeing as we’re all mages. At first, it spoke in a language that I didn’t quite recognize, even though it was... familiar somehow, but it eventually switched to Tamrielic when we did not answer. Even when we could understand it, we didn’t have much to say to it, but somehow it knew that we could. It thought I was Savos at first.

Remember those other College students I mentioned? Including Savos, there were six of them that snuck away from the College and went to Labyrinthian in search of treasure and magical secrets. Savos Aren was the only one who managed to survive. He sealed the whole place away, and made sure it never happened again. How many years did he carry that regret? Mer live for a long time. It may have been almost a century. It’s not like I can ask him now, though.

I did find out what the voice was coming from... sort of. It seemed like some sort of wraith, or maybe a lich, and it had the Staff of Magnus. Being hit by it was like being set on fire, but a hundred times worse, but I managed to dodge most of it. We killed it, eventually, and it dropped some sort of odd mask. It’s definitely enchanted, but I haven’t sat down to study it yet. That’s something that can wait until after I’ve slept.

On the way out of the ruin, we were confronted by a Thalmor justiciar, Estormo. He’d been sent by Ancano to kill me (and presumably the others, but it was me he spoke to) and retrieve the staff. He seemed to think I would just lay down and die, but he didn’t like being attacked with the Staff any more than I did. He died quickly and painfully. I... should feel some guilt over that, I think, but I don’t.

Of course, when we got out of the ruin we ran into no less than THREE THALMOR HIT SQUADS. I’m still not sure how we survived that. Gods know it wasn’t because we’re better mages than the Thalmor.

After that, we had to race back to Winterhold, where we found that most of the members of the College had been forced out by whatever Ancano was doing to the Eye. I say most, because Mirabelle died helping the others escape. If I hadn’t already been set on killing Ancano, that would have made up my mind. She was always kind to me, and she made sure things ran smoothly. I still don’t know how the College is going to cope without her.

Tolfdir joined us in taking the fight to Ancano after I used the Staff to break through whatever barrier Ancano managed to make. He paralyzed everyone but me; I don’t know how it didn’t hit me as well, but it meant I had to face him alone. Ancano didn’t stand much of a chance against the Staff of Magnus, and thank the gods for that, because if I’d had to fight him much longer, I think I would have died. His death didn’t stop whatever he did to the Eye of Magnus, though.

Tolfdir and I were just starting to panic when the Psijic Monks just materialized in the Hall of the Elements. Quaranir, the one who had visited before, told us that the Eye had become unstable, and that Ancano’s actions proved that the world was not ready for such a thing. The Psijic Order will apparently safeguard it for now. I’m not sure that I trust a bunch of Altmer to hide away with it, but — they certainly don’t have any love for the Thalmor, so I suppose I’ll have to trust them.

He tried to name me Arch-mage. Tolfdir certainly seemed inclined to agree with him, but I turned the position down. I don’t know enough about how the College runs to lead it! And I certainly can’t say I’m knowledgeable enough about magic to run a place dedicated to it, either. I gave the position to Tolfdir instead. He seemed surprised, but ultimately accepted it.

Maybe things can start going back to normal, for a given value of normal. My life just got so much stranger, but at least I don’t have to adjust to being Arch-mage on top of that. I think I’ll remain at the College for now, and learn what I can. But then... well, Lucien has some sort of ruin he wants to visit in Solstheim. Maybe we can go.

That could be interesting.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's more or less a wrap on the College of Winterhold questline! there's one more College-related sidequest to go, and then stuff from Lucien's mod, and then it'll be onward to Volume II (which is definitely ready to be posted and not at all a mess rn)!


	19. Second Seed 30th, 4E 200

Well, after taking a few days to do absolutely nothing of importance, I decided I should probably finish helping Arniel with his research project before I leave the country entirely.

Lucien’s eager to head to Solstheim, but he agreed.

So, I gave Arniel those cogs he’d wanted (that I did manage to find in Mzulft), and then asked if he needed anything else. He did.

He needed me to get something from Enthir for him. And of course, Enthir wanted something in exchange. Another staff! At least there were no vampires this time. Just one particularly annoying necromancer that Lucien and I managed to deal with.

(There was another word wall, too. Lucien didn’t notice any glowing or chanting the way I did… it’s unnerving. And I really need to do some more research on it.)

We just got back to the College and handed off the staff to Enthir. Why on earth does Arniel want this warped soul gem?

-Runa

»»»

...I checked back with him after dinner, and it turns out that Arniel is attempting to replicate the circumstances that led to the Dwemer disappearing. Since he doesn’t have access to anything like the Heart of Lorkhan, he needs to make a substitute.

He made an approximation of the sort of machines he thinks the Dwemer used for their... for lack of a better word, event, but it broke after he used it once. Arniel thinks that there may be real ones out in the various ruins somewhere, and he taught me a spell to use to heat them appropriately.

So I guess I know what Lucien and I are doing tomorrow. Great.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arniel's Endeavor is a royal pain in the ass tbh. and Enthir needs to stop giving out quests to go retrieve staves


	20. Second Seed 31st, 4E 200

After a trip back to Mzulft, and then to a kind of ruin in the Rift, Lucien and I found enough of those convectors to properly warp Arniel’s soul gem. (That was a very strange sentence to write.)

The ruin in the Rift looked like some kind of ritual platform. It was smaller than the main area in the Frozen Hearth, which is saying something, I think, because that inn isn’t very large to begin with.

Anyway, we’re back, Arniel has his soul gem, and apparently he only needs one more thing for the initial tests for his experiment. It should be arriving soon, so hopefully that means I’m done assisting him.

(I’m willing to bet something’s going to go wrong and I’m going to have to help him again, though.)

-Runa


	21. Mid-Year 2nd, 4E 200

I was right. Arniel’s hit another snag in uncovering the secrets of the Dwemer. He says that Enthir’s holding out on him again, for another essential item.

I really wish I’d never gotten involved in this, but I did, so I have to speak to Enthir now. If he asks me to retrieve another staff, I swear...

-Runa

»»»

As it turns out, it’s not so much that Enthir’s holding out on Arniel as that the item never arrived from Morrowind. Enthir doesn’t even know what it is, which is... concerning.

The courier was supposed to arrive from Morrowind in the Rift, so Enthir suggested that’s where I start looking. I guess I’m off to the Rift.

I’m going to leave Lucien here to get some rest, this should be a fairly routine trip. And if it’s not, I can just summon an atronach or something.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ingame it actually was a pretty routine trip, so she's not jinxing it this time


	22. Mid-Year 3rd, 4E 200

Well, after getting lost in Eastmarch, and then sidetracked in Shor’s Stone, I finally found the courier.

More accurately, I found his body, inside Broken Helm Hollow. There were a handful of bandits, but I dealt with them easily enough.

He had a strange dagger. I assume this is what Arniel was after, though I have no idea what it does. It’s got some kind of enchantment on it, but I’m not sure that I want to mess with it.

It’s getting late, so I think I’ll rest here and head back toward Riften tomorrow. I can catch the carriage to Winterhold from there.

-Runa


	23. Mid-Year 4th, 4E 200

I’m back in Winterhold. Time to bring Arniel his package and see what it’s supposed to do.

-Runa

»»»

Uh. Well, something happened.

As it turns out, the dagger is Keening, supposedly one of the Dwemer Tonal Architect Kagrenac’s tools. And, as Arniel wanted to replicate the results of the dwarves’ disappearance, he needed it for his experiment.

He said that he lacked Keening’s counterpart, Sunder, but that he was reasonably confident that it would still work, using the warped soul gem I helped him with in the place of Lorkhan’s Heart.

He struck the soul gem three times and just... vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but the soul gem and Keening behind.

I should probably go tell Tolfdir about this.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it for all of the College of Winterhold stuff in this fic! next up: Lucien's quest! also can we get an F in the chat for Arniel please


	24. Mid-Year 5th, 4E 200

There’s nothing we can do for Arniel, it seems, so Lucien and I are off to Solstheim! Well, we’re off to Windhelm first, which is much less exciting. But we’re going to take a ship from the Windhelm docks to Solstheim.

I’ve never left Skyrim before. Lucien, obviously, is from Cyrodiil, so he’s at least got some experience with traveling to another country. I don’t think he’s ever been to Morrowind though. 

I probably should have asked Brelyna if she wanted to come with us, but on the other hand, she left Morrowind to come to the College, so maybe she wouldn’t have wanted to.

It doesn’t exactly matter now, since Lucien and I are on a carriage to Windhelm. My fingers are freezing, but I just want to get this down before we get there. I have a funny feeling I’m not going to enjoy being on the ship very much.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does Runa get seasick?
> 
> .....yes, extremely.


	25. Mid-Year 7th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it, the last major chapter!

My funny feeling was absolutely correct. I hate sea travel. I would quite happily never do that again, but I know we’re going to have to take the ship back eventually. Wonderful.

Anyway, we arrived on Solstheim late last night. The ship docked at a town called Raven Rock. It’s... a bit of a dismal place, but not as bad as I was expecting, given the rumors I’ve heard about Morrowind in general.

Then again, I suppose most people from Windhelm wouldn’t have anything kind to say about Morrowind. (I really wish Nords, as a whole, weren’t so awful to the Dunmer.)

We rented a room at the only inn, the Retching Netch, last night, but now we’re going to set out for that Dwemer ruin he wants to find. I’m not sure what to expect, and I don’t particularly like Dwemer ruins, but he’s excited. In his words, “And away we go!”

-Runa

»»»

We finally found Dumzbathar. There are so many Dwemer ruins on Solstheim! And I thought Skyrim had a lot of them.

Lucien’s eager to get inside, and I’m starting to pick up on his enthusiasm. I wonder what’s inside?

-Runa

»»»

This place is like a maze. And it’s really eerie. We just fought our way through a handful of Dwarven Spiders, some Dwarven Spheres, a walking ballista, and a Centurion, before something spoke to us.

It called us visitors. But I’ve no idea what it is. Hmm.

-Runa

»»»

That voice is, apparently, the facility itself. The Dwemer built it to streamline the production of automatons, if I’m understanding it correctly.

Why is it that every time I go into a ruin, I discover something spectacularly unusual? 

Why can’t it just be old treasure and nothing else, just once?

-Runa

»»»

Wonderful. Dumzbathar wants to kill us.

Apparently we (or, well, I) will be its salvation?

I really hate Dwemer ruins.

»»»

It said something about me making an excellent vessel. Neither Lucien nor I like the sound of that.

»»»

...This place is built over an Oblivion Gate. According to the ruin itself, while most of the Dwemer scorned the Daedra, the one that built this place thought they could be used. He struck a bargain with Mehrunes Dagon.

That explains a lot about some of the machines seeming more... alive. I really don’t like this place.

»»»

Dumzbathar was powered by a Daedra. It was forced into a machine that was then used to build automatons and assist the Dwemer with their research. It spent thousands of years trapped down here while the world moved on above ground.

I do feel bad for it, in a way, but I don’t regret destroying the machinery it’s trapped in. I doubt it can escape on its own, and it wanted to kill me and use my body as a vessel.

It... said something about my body being able to hold more than one soul inside it. I don’t understand what that means. I’d ask Lucien to help me research it, but...

He wants to stay here for now. There are so many secrets here, and Lucien wants to uncover them. He’s going to have his things sent here from Cyrodiil, so that he can study this place. He says it’ll become a sort of base camp for him, and whenever he’s not traveling with me, he can come back here.

He’ll write to me when everything’s set up. I’ll miss him in the meantime, though.

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's two more chapters that I'm going to post tomorrow because they're both very short. then I'm going to take a bit of a break before I begin posting Volume II, because there's still quite a lot of work that needs to be done on it before it's ready for me to even start posting  
> we're almost at the finish line for Volume I, though!


	26. Mid-Year 19th, 4E 200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second-to-last chapter! the last one will be up some time later today!

Lucien wrote to me! His laboratory in Dumzbathar is set up. I didn’t realize just how much I’d miss him. He really is my best friend, I think.

I wouldn’t put up with sailing back and forth between Skyrim and Solstheim for anyone else.

-Runa


	27. Mid-Year 21st, 4E 200

I have to be honest, I cannot make heads or tails of what Lucien’s found here. He seems to be having a good time, though.

He was delighted to come with me and start traveling again, so I don’t feel too badly about pulling him away from his work. I think we’ll head back to Raven Rock today, and set out for Skyrim tomorrow.

I wonder what new adventures await?

-Runa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it for Volume I! like I said yesterday, I'll be taking a bit of a break before I start posting Volume II (I'd like to get it at least somewhat closer to being finished before I start posting it, for one thing), but it is in the works! thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll join me for Runa's next set of adventures once I start posting them!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Feel free to visit me at spinanotherstory.tumblr.com if you'd like!


End file.
